Material-handling equipment



April 26, 2 M BUTLER MATERIAL HANDLING EQUIPMENT Filed May 26, 1923 Patented Apr. 26, 1927.

MORGAN :a. .BT'ITLER,DEWAUKESHA, WISCONSIN.

i MATERIAL-HAKDIING,,EQUIPMENTL,

Application, filed 'lviay'26;

This invention relates to certain new and useful j mprovements in *materlal handling equipment" and refers more particularly to a measurmg hopper for stone} sand, grain vor any other'type'olf materiah One 9 obj ection to that type of measuring hopper now in general use is-the inability of readily. adjusting its cubic capacity =and- While they havehad more or lessa degree of adju'stabilit-y,theadjustment isa difficultone to' make and when-once set, is maintain-ed for "a considerable pe'riodrof I time. 'l/Vitli this 'objectiont-o the adjustment ofthe present type of material measuring hopper in mind 'it is an'objeotof this invention'to provide meansfor obtaining the ready adi justment'of the-hopper wherein the same I may; ;be 'quiokly adjusted to any point" between its 'maximum and minimum'd'cubic capacity. a I

This invention has for another I of its objects' to provide means 1 for indicating the cubic'capacity' to which the hopperhas-beem adjusted.

It is afurther obj provide a material measuring hopper having means remotetherefrom and positioned at a point convenientto the operator tor readilyv adjusting the cubic capacity of the ho er..

A still further object'of this 'lIlVGHlZlOIl is to provide a measuring ,hopper' having'aplurality of" spaced discharge openingsand-a plurality ofconneoted gate-members" theretor'adapted, upon opening movement, to be positioned intermediate of the openings whereby a maximum discharge area is provided with a minimum movement of the gate members With'the above 'and other objects in View;

which will appear as the description pro-'- ceeds, my invention I'ESlClBS 1n the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described.-

and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the "precise,embodimentof the herein disclosedinvention may be made as come within the scope of the claims. 1

In the accompanying drawing, I have 'il.--

lustrated one complete example of the phys-'- ect of this invention to icalemb'odiment of my invention constructed according-to thebest model have -so-far devised toriv the practical'application of the :principles thereof, andinwhich:

v Figure- 1 1s a *side 'view of a' measuring hopper embodyingi; my '1nvent1on,' parts thereof being-abrokenaway and in section to more clearly-illustrate details of COD-f struction,'-and-'- Fi g'ure 2 is a 'view;- partlyin transverse 1 section. and partly in elevation; taken through Figure 1 substantially onthe plane Referring now -more particularly to tl1e-65 accompanying drawing-in which like -numerals designate like parts throughout theseveral/views; the-numeral 5 designatesthe uprights or' stan dards -of a supporting frame 6, above whioh ls mounted su-pply biminot 7 shown, having a dischargeopening register-- mg" W1th3fan op'emngorpassageway? in th'e supporting-frame,- the same leadirrgg-to the uppe'r-endu8 'of-ia' measuring hoppei -99 i Y 1, The -mea suring hopper comprises -an -up- 7 per section 10, a lower section 11 and pref erabl'y' one or more intermediate sections 12; said sections being adapted; to' -telescope one withinthe otherto adjust .the'cubiocapaeity of the hopper; -Suspended from frame 6 are so i be hereinafter-more fully apparent asthe description proceeds a,

The lower-portion l-l o'f the hoppen is mov; able toward and away from the supporting "f1211I18i6, toregulate-the' cubic "ca-pacity of the -hopper, 'by "cable members 15' having their ends"connected with the adjacent endsot the beams 14 by eye-bolts ltiand their other 1 ends connected; 'wi-th drums 17 *mounted ona shaft 18 journaled in bearings 19 carried by anadjacent 'pa ir"of uprightsfl5.; The cables=l5 ares preferablyfguided ioverfguide,

sheaves 20 journal-ed in brackets secured to the supporting frame.

Shaft 18 has a ratchet wheel 21 secured thereto and a lever 22 freely and rotatably mounted thereon adjacent the ratchet and carrying a pawl or dog 23 engageable with the teeth of the ratchet wheel 21 whereby shaft 18 may be readilyrotated to wind to permit theextension of the hopper seccables 15 on the drums 17 and Consequently telescope the hopper sections to decrease the cubic capacity thereof or whereby the pawl 23 may be disengagedfrom the ratchetwheel tions to increasethe cubic capacity thereof. In order to visually indicate the cubic capacity of the hopper at any adjust-mentanindicating finger or hand 2a is carried by the lower section 11 which cooperates with a scale 25 secured to an ad acent guide member 13, the scale, indicating the cubic was equivalent to the width of the discharge opening. Such a structure, in the past, has

' been cumbersome 'as to provide a single control gate having the desired opening move-- ment necessitated too great a movement of the gate. c In this invention, I overcome this objectionable feature by providing a plurality of discharge openings 26, preferably of elongated shape and spaced apart a distance not less than the width of each opening, adapted to be closed by gate members 27 connected by a single operatmg rod 28 and having their edges guided on angular members 29 secured to the extended side Wall portions 30 of the hopper sections 11 and, the end members 14. c A link 30 pivotally connects one end of bar 28 with a lever 31 having its upper end pivoted, as at 32, to a bracket 33v carried by the hopper member 11 and its lower free end 33 positioned so that an operator can readily actuate the .same to move the gate [members 27 to and from closed position. In Figure 1 the gate members are illustrated as in closed position and a movement of leverv 31 to the left with reference to Figure 1 moves the right-hand gate 27 within the space 34: between thedischarge openings and the left-hand gate 27 to the left of itsdischarge opening, as will be readily obvious. During the movement of the valve to its opening position, it will be observed thatv 'discharge gates 27 opened to empty two-part adjustable the beams 14 are forced in a horizontal plane against the perpendicular faces of the beams 13, thus limiting the movement of the. lower section of the hopper and holdingthe same at all times inalignment with its upper section. With this construction a dischargearea equal to the combined openings 26 is provided and the total movement of the operating bar 28 required to efiect full open- .ing of the discharge is but one-half that required if but'a single' discharge opening were employed. v v Q i c The measuring hopper and the supply bin,

not shown, may be readily connectedxand disconnected bya valve member35 carried by an operating rod 36 and movable across opening 7 by alever 37 medially pivoted,

as at '38, to a bracket 39 secured to the sup I porting frame, The upper end of lever 37 is pivotally connected with the bar 36- by a link 40.

. When it is desired to measure a predetermined volume of material, as for example I one and one-half cubic yards, the operator. it is highly desiradjusts the hopper by means of the ratchet lever 22 to register the pointer 24 withthe one'and one-half cubicyards designation on the scale 25, then opens gate 35 by swinging the lower end of lever 37 to the right with reference to Figure 1 and when the container is filled, gate member .35 is closed and the the hopper.

What I claim as my invention is: A

1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a supporting member and a hopper connected thereto, guide elements secured to said supporting member and between which said hopper positioned, a control valve and its operating means carried by the movable part of said hopper, said movable part being movable with respect to said guide elements, and said movable part bearing against said guide elements and being retained in alignment with its stationary part during the movement of the valve to its opening position.

2. In a device of the class described, the i combination of a supporting member and a collapsible measuring hopper connected thereto, said hopper being composed offixed and movable parts, a rectangularframe depending from SfilCl supporting member and within which said hopper is positioned, a

control valve for the lower partof said hopper and operating means therefor carried by the latter, and said lower part of the hopper being retained in vertical alignment with its fixed part by said rectangular frame during the opening movement of the valve.

3. In a device of the class described, the

combination of a supporting. member and a collapsible measuring hopper connected thereto, guide elements arranged IIIVPZUIS about .sa1d hopper and between which its lower portion moves, supporting bars for of said hopper being retained in vertical the lower portion of said hopper, said bars alignment with its upper part during the being positioned upon the inner side of one opening movement of the valve by the en- 1 pair of guide elements and upon the outer gagement of the supporting bars with the 5 side of the other pair a control valve and guide elements.

its operating means carried by the lower In testimony whereof I afiix my signature. portion of said hopper and the lower part MORGAN R. BUTLER. 

